A RARE EXPERIENCE OF SWAMI’S DIVINITY
Bhagavan’s visit to a Nursing Home. During these visits,on each morning the state President would meet Swami to seek guidance on His programme for the day. The programme in turn would be communicated to me so that the exact location of the places of visit and most convenient route could be ascertained.
We would have two motorbike riders serving as pilots ahead of Swami’s car. If the car were to take right or left turn,I would use the indicator in the car to alert the pilots. It was the pillion riders responsibility to keep track of this signal and accordingly guide the person driving the motorbike.
One morning,I was informed by the State President that Swami had not given any indication on any proposed visit for the day. I was thus in dilemma whether I should park the car in the shed or keep waiting till we received clear instruction from Bhagvan. The State President told me to seek Swami’s guidance on the same. When I sought Swami’s guidance on this, He told me that I should keep the car ready for a visit He wanted to undertake. When I tried to know where He planned to go, He just said,”I will tell you.” Since I could not push the matter further, I decided to wait near the car.
In a short while Swami arrived, sat in the car and said,”Let us go.” It was just Swami and myself in the car. The two motorbike riders serving as pilots proceeded ahead of the car as usual. When the car approached the intersection, I asked Swami whether we should turn right or left. Swami indicated that we should turn right. As per the standard procedure, I turned on the right indicator light to signal the pillion riders.
But immediately after the motorbikes tuned to the right, Swami revised His instruction and said,”No…. let us go left ! Fortunately, the traffic on the left turn was not much and I turned the car towards the road on our left. By then the pilots had proceeded to the road on the right unaware of the change in our route. I was nervously watching the rear view mirror of the car to catch a glimpse of the motorbikes. I was hoping that the bikes would locate the car and eventually catch up with us. But Swami followed up with a series of”turn right”, “turn left” instructions and soon we lost sight of the pilots! Those were the days when mobile communication was not available. I was very worried about what we would do in case the car got a flat tyre. How would I reach out for help in such a case ? Remember, it was just Swami and me in the car.
I ventured to ask Swami where we were going to but in response He just asked me to keep going. He continued giving me directions to follow. Imagine, we were in Madras city (Chennai). I was supposed to be the local man. And here I was receiving directions on the route from Swami. Soon we were in front of Lady Willingdon Nursing Home on Pycrofts Road. The time was around 11.10a.m. I was familiar with the visiting hours of the hospital. I informed Swami that the hospital would be closed for visitors from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. . In response, Swami just said,”I know…..I know…. Just take the car near the portico of the hospital building.”
Resurrection of Parvathamma. There would always be a security guard stationed at the hospital gate from 11a.m to 4 p.m. But on that day, no guard was around and the gate was wide open. I parked the car near the hospital portico as per Swami’s instruction. Swami then got down from the car and proceeded to ascend the stairs leading to the first floor of the hospital building. I ventured to accompany Him but He stopped me by saying”No…..No… You be here”. I looked on worryingly as Swami walked up the stairs all alone. I was imagining all the criticism that I was bound to receive from the elders in the organization for having left Swami go into the hospital all alone.
To my relief, Swami returned after about ten minutes. He sat in the car and asked me to proceed back to Sundaram. After a while,I asked Swami why He visited the hospital. Response to this question really amazed me. “Do you know Parvathamma?” He asked. I knew Parvathamma. She was the wife of Sri Hanumantha Rao, a former I.A.S Officer. The couple were long-standing devotees of Swami. It could be interesting to note that Sri Hanumantha Rao had served as the Transport Secretary and had the privilege of issuing the driver’s license to Bhagvan ! Swami used to drive a two-door Morris Minor car in those days.
Bhagvan then casually remarked,”Parvathamma passed away this morning. The hospital authorities had pronounced her dead. But she has a lot of work pending to be done as the Chairperson of Andhra Mahila Sabha (a socio- charitable organization based at Chennai). I thus went and woke her up” !
I was astounded by what Swami said. He had just told me that He had resurrected a dead person. The amazing thing was that He was saying this so casually. I kept starring at Swami through the car’s mirror. Swami noticed this and said, “Aey………….don’t look at Me. Focus on the road while you drive”. We soon reached Sundaram. As expected, I received all the retribution from the elders in the organization. I silently listened to them and did not tell them anything about why and where I had taken Swami.
I got my own car and drove back to Lady Willingdon Nursing Home to meet Parvathamma. It was about 12.3o p.m. The hospital gates were closed and a guard was on duty. I informed the guard that I had come to the hospital at around 11.10 a.m.along with a guest to meet a patient. I further told him that the guest who came along with me had sent me again to convey a message to the patient. The guard just stared at me and said,”You appear to be an educated young man. You are still lying to me. I personally locked the hospital gate at 10.59 a.m today. Here are the keys. I have been guarding the gate from the time I locked it till now. How dare you say that the gate was open at 11.10 a.m. ? I was utterly amazed ! I was speaking the truth. But how was I to argue with the security guard ? How was I to explain to him that the person with whom I came was the same Lord Krishna by whose Will Kansas’s prison gates opened on their own. Just as I was wondering how to go into the hospital, a doctor who was my friend, came to the hospital for his day’s duty. The doctor consented to take me along. The security guard could not stop me now.
A Rare Blessing of Swami.
I went to the first floor room allotted to Parvathamma. As I entered the room, I saw her seated on the chair. I made enquiries about her health and she said that she was feeling fine. When I asked her about Swami visiting her , she narrated the following:”I was lying down on my bed and heard Swami calling out my name three times. I opened my eyes and found Swami here. He asked me to sit up and I did . He told me that I would be discharged tomorrow. He advised me to take rest for a couple of days and then resume my activities as the Chairperson of the Andhra Mahila Sabha. I was thirsty and was looking around for some water. Swami noticed this and asked me to open my mouth.Swami placed the little finger of His right hand over my mouth. Lo and behold! I felt warm coffee flowing into my mouth. Swami then blessed me and went away”.
I was wonderstruck by what I had just heard. I went back home and returned to Sundaram at about 3 p.m.The moment I reached, I found that there was a message waiting for me. Swami wanted to see me. I went up to Swami’s room, He looked at me with a stern expression on His face and asked me,”Where did you go after you left Me at Sundaram”? “Swami, I went to the Nursing Home,”I replied. ,”Who asked you to go there?” He asked. I just said,”Swami I wanted to meet that fortunate devotee who received your grace.” In response Swami asked,”You already know Parvathamma and her husband very well.So, where was the need to meet her now?” I could not find a convincing answer to His question, I felt a sense of guilty and thus remained silent with my head bowed down. Swami then said,”Oh………. so you wanted to test Me”? I submitted that my intention behind going there was not to test Him. I conveyed that I went there only out of concern for the devout lady and to get a first-hand account of her experience.
“Why do want to know all these details?”He asked. I remained silent .”Don’t talk about this to anybody,”He commanded. So powerful were the words of the Lord that the entire memory about the Parvathamma episode faded away from my mind.
All this happened in the year 1978. In the year 1995, I was made the State President of Sri Sathya Sai Seva Organization, Tamil Nadu. In the year 1998, Swami visited Kodaikanal and I was near the gate Sai Sruti–Swam’s Mandir at Kodaikanal. I received the message that Bhagvan was calling me. I ran up the inclined path that led to Swami’s Mandir. By the time I reached Swami’s presence, I was grasping breath. Bhagvan looked at me and said,”Santhi…….. Santhi….Santhi hi!” The compassionate Lord then asked me to open my mouth and poured water from HIS own glass for me to drink. He kept pouring for a while and I kept gulping the water down merrily! All this happened in the presence of students and devotees gathered there.
Swami later asked me,”Do you know why I gave you water”? I just remained silent. And then He said,”Remember, I gave coffee to Parvathamma with My own hands. I gave you water the same way today”. In a flash, the entire story of Parvathamma came back to me.
This is one of the infinite Leelas of the Lord. He alone knows as to how many devotees like Parvathamma have been rescued since the beginning of time. It is futile exercise to try and understand Swami’s actions. All that we need to do is to surrender to His Will and be obedient instrument in His divine hand.
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